Today is the Feast of St. John, Apostle and
Evangelist. John and his brother James
were among the first apostles called by Jesus.
He was present with our Lord at His transfiguration and in the Garden of Gethsemane. From the cross, Jesus entrusted the care of
His mother Mary to John. He is the
author of the Gospel that bears his name, as well as three epistles and the
Book of Revelation. According to
tradition, John was banished to the island
of Patmos (off the coast of Asia Minor) by the Roman emperor Domitian. In his later work John is associated with Ephesus and he is believed
to have been the only apostle who did not die a martyr’s death as he lived to a
very old age and died at the end of the first century A.D.
Scripture reading:
Peter turned
and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had
leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that
is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what
about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I
come, what is that to you? You follow me!” So the saying spread abroad among
the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him
that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come,
what is that to you?”
This is the
disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these
things, and we know that his testimony is true.
Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of
them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books
that would be written. (John 21:20-25)
Collect of the Day:
Merciful
Lord, cast the bright beams of Your light upon the Church that we, being
instructed in the doctrine of your blessed apostle and evangelist John, may
come to the light of everlasting life; for You live and reign with the Father
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
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